2019 Chengdu Hunters season
Head coachWang Xingrui (王星睿)
OwnerHuya
DivisionPacific
Results
Record13–15 (.464)
Place
Stage 1 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Stage 2 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Stage 3 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Season PlayoffsDid not qualify

The 2019 Chengdu Hunters season was the first season of Chengdu Hunters's existence in the Overwatch League as one of eight expansion franchises added for the 2019 season. After posting three consecutive 3–4 records for the first three stages, the Hunters failed to qualify for any of the Stage Playoffs. A 4–3 record in Stage 4 gave Chengdu 13–15 record for the season and qualified them for the Play-In Tournament, where they were eliminated in the first round by the Guangzhou Charge by a 1–4 scoreline.

Preceding offseason

Chengdu announced the entirety of their initial starting roster in late November, consisting of the following players:[1]

  • Kong "Kyo" Chun-ting,
  • Li "Yveltal" Xian-yao,
  • Guan "GARRY" Li,
  • Luo "Elsa" Wen-jie,
  • Ding "ameng" Meng-han,
  • Ma "lateyoung" Tian-bin,
  • Yi "JinMu" Hu,
  • Lo "Baconjack" Tzu-Heng, and
  • Zhang "YangXiaoLong" Zhi-hao.

The team also had signed Ted "silkthread" Wang, but silkthread retired from professional Overwatch on November 30.[2] On January 16, Chengdu signed Wei "jiqiren" Yan-song.[3]

Regular season

Stage 1

Chengdu opened their 2019 season on February 15 with a victory over fellow Chinese expansion franchise Guangzhou Charge.[4] After their second week of play, which resulted in a loss to Seoul Dynasty and a win over Florida Mayhem, it became apparent that Chengdu was generally not playing to the triple tank, triple support meta that the majority of the league was; instead, the team primarily featured a DPS-heavy composition.[5] Chengdu would go on to lose three matches straight before defeating Atlanta Reign in their final match of Stage 1 to finish the stage with a 3–4 record.[6]

Stage 2

Hunters began Stage 2 with a match against Paris Eternal on April 6. Sticking with their off-meta team composition strategy, Chengdu swept Paris 4–0.[7] Chengdu defeated Washington Justice 3–1 a day later in a match that featured an Overwatch League record 27 out of the 30 possible heroes in the game.[8] Despite the strong start, Chengdu went on a three-game losing streak before finding their next win against London Spitfire on April 28.[9] Chengdu's final match of the stage was against Los Angeles Valiant. Hunters lost the match 2–3 to put them out of playoff contention and for the second stage in a row, finish the stage with a 3–4 record.[10]

Stage 3

Chengdu Hunters post-match handshake after defeating Dallas Fuel in Stage 3.

The Hunters opened Stage 3 on June 6 with a 1–3 loss to the Guangzhou Charge.[11] Two days later, the team was swept 0–4 by the Los Angeles Valiant.[12] Chengdu took on the Dallas Fuel a week later, looking to rebound from the previous two losses. The team kept Dallas guessing throughout the match and took a decisive 3–1 victory.[13] The team's next match was on June 21, when they faced the undefeated Vancouver Titans. While Chengdu was able to take the first map of the match, they dropped the following three, leading to a 1–3 loss.[14] The Hunters rebounded two days later, when they swept the Dallas Fuel 4–0 in a rematch of the previous week.[15] For the final week of the stage, Chengdu first took on the Stage 2 Champions San Francisco Shock on June 27. The match went to a fifth tiebreaker map, and the Hunters managed to pull out a 3–2 victory.[16] Chengdu was unable to close out the stage with a winning record, however, as they fell 0–3 to the Seoul Dynasty three days later and ended the stage with another 3–4 record.[16]

Stage 4

A day prior to their first match of Stage 4, which would include the implementation of an enforced 2-2-2 role lock by the League, the Hunters brought in DPS prospect Xin "leave" Huang. The 17-year-old would not be eligible to officially sign with the Hunters until 2020 season.[17]

The team's first match of the stage was against the Philadelphia Fusion on July 26. The match went the distance, needing a fifth map to determine the winner; Chengdu was able to take map five to win 3–2.[18] Two days later, the team faced the Boston Uprising. The match also went the distance, and with game MVP performance from support Xianyao "Yveltal" Li on Mercy, Chengdu took another 3–2 win.[19] The following week, the Hunters faced the Los Angeles Gladiators. For the third match in a row, the game went to a fifth tiebreaker map; this time, Chengdu was unable to pull out the win and lost the match 2–3.[20] The team came back in full force two days later with a match against the Atlantic Champions New York Excelsior. DPS Yi "Jinmu" Hu on Pharah gave New York troubles throughout the series; that, along with Chengdu's ability to dive NYXL's Jeong "Nenne" Yeon-kwan on Widowmaker, proved to be too much for the Excelsior to handle, as handed New York their first 4–0 sweep in franchise history.[21] The following week, Chengdu faced the Hangzhou Spark; the team fell 1–3 in the match.[22] The Hunter's final week of play saw them first face the San Francisco Shock on August 16. Chengdu was dominated throughout the match and was swept 0–4.[22] Needing a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, the Hunters faced the Houston Outlaws in their final match of the season. Chengdu pulled out a 3–2 victory after the match went to a fifth tiebreaker map.[23] The team finished the season with a 13–15 record and qualified for the Play-In Tournament.

Postseason

As the twelfth seed in the overall standings, the Hunters qualified for the Play-In Tournament, where they took on the ninth-seeded Guangzhou Charge on August 30. After dropping the first two maps, Ilios and Eichenwalde, the Hunters closed the gap by taking map three, Horizon Lunar Colony. However, the Charge would not yield another map, as the Hunters lost the match 1–4 and ended their 2019 season.[24]

Final roster

2019 Chengdu Hunters roster
PlayersCoaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage 24 JinMu Yi Hu China
Damage 74 Baconjack Lo Tzu-Heng Taiwan
Damage 88 YangXiaoLong Zhang Zhihao China
Damage leave (I) Huang Xin China
Tank 3 Elsa Luo Wenjie China
Tank 5 Ameng Ding Menghan China
Tank 64 LateYoung Ma Tianban China
Tank 99 jiqiren Wei Yansong China
Support 7 Kyo (C) Kong Chunting China
Support 29 Yveltal Li Xianyao China
Support 77 GARRY Li Guan China
Head coach
  • Wang Xingrui
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: January 16, 2019.

Transactions

Transactions of/for players on the roster during the 2019 regular season:

Standings

Record by stage

StagePldWLPctMWMLMTMDPos
1 7 3 4 .429 12 20 0 -8 16
2 7 3 4 .429 15 14 0 +1 9
3 7 3 4 .429 12 16 1 -4 13
4[lower-alpha 1] 7 4 3 .571 16 16 0 ±0 9
Overall 28 13 15 .464 55 66 1 -11 12
  Qualified for playoffs •   Qualified for play-in tournament
  1. ↑ No stage playoffs were held for Stage 4.

League

Pos Div Team Pld W L PCT MW ML MT MD Qualification
1 PAC Vancouver Titans 28 25 3 0.893 89 28 0 +61 Advance to season playoffs (division leaders)
2 ATL New York Excelsior 28 22 6 0.786 78 38 3 +40
3 PAC San Francisco Shock 28 23 5 0.821 92 26 0 +66 Advance to season playoffs
4 PAC Hangzhou Spark 28 18 10 0.643 64 52 4 +12
5 PAC Los Angeles Gladiators 28 17 11 0.607 67 48 3 +19
6 ATL Atlanta Reign 28 16 12 0.571 69 50 1 +19
7 ATL London Spitfire 28 16 12 0.571 58 52 6 +6 Advance to play-ins
8 PAC Seoul Dynasty 28 15 13 0.536 64 50 3 +14
9 PAC Guangzhou Charge 28 15 13 0.536 61 57 1 +4
10 ATL Philadelphia Fusion 28 15 13 0.536 57 60 3 −3
11 PAC Shanghai Dragons 28 13 15 0.464 51 61 3 −10
12 PAC Chengdu Hunters 28 13 15 0.464 55 66 1 −11
13 PAC Los Angeles Valiant 28 12 16 0.429 56 61 4 −5
14 ATL Paris Eternal 28 11 17 0.393 46 67 3 −21
15 PAC Dallas Fuel 28 10 18 0.357 43 70 3 −27
16 ATL Houston Outlaws 28 9 19 0.321 47 69 3 −22
17 ATL Toronto Defiant 28 8 20 0.286 39 72 4 −33
18 ATL Washington Justice 28 8 20 0.286 39 72 6 −33
19 ATL Boston Uprising 28 8 20 0.286 41 78 2 −37
20 ATL Florida Mayhem 28 6 22 0.214 36 75 5 −39
Source: The Overwatch League
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) map differential; 3) head-to-head record; 4) head-to-head map differential

Game log

Regular season

2019 game log (Regular season record: 13–15)
Stage 1 (3–4)
1 February 15 Chengdu Hunters 3 – 2 Guangzhou Charge Burbank, CA
   Recap Blizzard Arena
0 Busan 2
3 Numbani 2
2 Volskaya Industries 3
2 Dorado 1
2 Nepal 1
2 February 21 Seoul Dynasty 4 – 0 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
   Recap Blizzard Arena
2 Ilios 1
2 Hollywood 1
4 Horizon Lunar Colony 3
3 Rialto 2
3 February 23 Chengdu Hunters 3 – 2 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA
   Recap Blizzard Arena
2 Nepal 1
2 King's Row 3
2 Temple of Anubis 0
2 Rialto 3
2 Busan 0
4 March 01 Shanghai Dragons 4 – 0 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
   Recap Blizzard Arena
2 Busan 1
3 Numbani 2
5 Volskaya Industries 4
2 Dorado 1
5 March 07 Toronto Defiant 3 – 1 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
   Recap Blizzard Arena
2 Ilios 1
1 King's Row 0
2 Volskaya Industries 3
3 Route 66 2
6 March 10 Vancouver Titans 3 – 2 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
   Recap Blizzard Arena
2 Ilios 0
1 Hollywood 2
1 Temple of Anubis 2
3 Route 66 2
2 Nepal 0
7 March 16 Atlanta Reign 2 – 3 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
   Recap Blizzard Arena
0 Nepal 2
4 Numbani 3
0 Horizon Lunar Colony 1
3 Rialto 2
0 Busan 2

Stage 2 (3–4)
8 April 06 Chengdu Hunters 4 – 0 Paris Eternal Burbank, CA
5:15 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
2 Oasis 1
4 Hanamura 3
4 Blizzard World 3
2 Rialto 1
9 April 07 Washington Justice 1 – 3 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
5:15 pm PST    Recap Blizzard Arena
0 Oasis 2
1 Temple of Anubis 0
0 King's Row 1
3 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 4
10 April 12 Chengdu Hunters 1 – 3 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA
8:30 pm PST    Recap Blizzard Arena
0 Lijiang Tower 2
1 Paris 0
2 King's Row 3
2 Junkertown 3
11 April 20 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 1 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
4:30 pm PST    Recap Blizzard Arena
2 Busan 0
1 Hanamura 2
2 Eichenwalde 1
1 Junkertown 0
12 April 27 Hangzhou Spark 3 – 1 Chengdu Hunters Allen, TX
11:25 am PST    Recap Allen Event Center
2 Busan 1
3 Temple of Anubis 2
1 Blizzard World 2
5 Junkertown 4
13 April 28 Chengdu Hunters 3 – 1 London Spitfire Allen, TX
11:45 am PST    Recap Allen Event Center
2 Oasis 1
4 Paris 5
3 Eichenwalde 0
2 Rialto 1
14 May 04 Chengdu Hunters 2 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA
4:30 pm PST    Recap Blizzard Arena
0 Lijiang Tower 2
2 Paris 1
2 King's Row 3
2 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 0
0 Busan 2

Stage 3 (3–4)
15 June 06 Guangzhou Charge 3 – 1 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
7:30 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
2 Oasis 0
5 Volskaya Industries 4
6 Eichenwalde 5
2 Dorado 3
16 June 08 Los Angeles Valiant 4 – 0 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
5:15 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
2 Oasis 0
5 Horizon Lunar Colony 4
5 Numbani 3
3 Havana 2
17 June 13 Dallas Fuel 1 – 3 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
7:30 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
0 Ilios 2
3 Paris 2
1 Hollywood 3
2 Dorado 3
18 June 21 Chengdu Hunters 1 – 3 Vancouver Titans Burbank, CA
9:15 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
2 Nepal 1
2 Volskaya Industries 3
3 Hollywood 4
0 Havana 2
19 June 23 Chengdu Hunters 4 – 0 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA
12:00 noon PST    Details Blizzard Arena
2 Nepal 1
1 Horizon Lunar Colony 0
4 Numbani 3
3 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 0
20 June 27 San Francisco Shock 2 – 3 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
9:00 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
1 Ilios 2
4 Volskaya Industries 3
4 Eichenwalde 5
2 Dorado 0
1 Oasis 2
21 June 30 Chengdu Hunters 0 – 3 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA
5:15 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
1 Ilios 2
5 Paris 5
1 Eichenwalde 2
1 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 3

Stage 4 (4–3)
22 July 26 Philadelphia Fusion 2 – 3 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
9:15 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
0 Busan 2
3 Hanamura 2
2 Blizzard World 3
2 Junkertown 1
1 Ilios 2
23 July 28 Boston Uprising 2 – 3 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA
5:15 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
1 Busan 2
3 Volskaya Industries 2
0 Blizzard World 3
2 Havana 0
0 Ilios 2
24 August 02 Chengdu Hunters 2 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA
7:30 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
2 Lijiang Tower 1
1 Volskaya Industries 2
1 King's Row 2
5 Junkertown 4
0 Busan 2
25 August 04 Chengdu Hunters 4 – 0 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA
5:15 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
2 Lijiang Tower 0
2 Temple of Anubis 1
4 King's Row 3
2 Route 66 1
26 August 10 Chengdu Hunters 1 – 3 Hangzhou Spark Burbank, CA
5:15 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
2 Ilios 1
0 Hanamura 1
2 King's Row 3
3 Havana 4
27 August 16 Chengdu Hunters 0 – 4 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA
5:45 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
0 Ilios 2
1 Hanamura 2
0 Hollywood 1
1 Route 66 2
28 August 17 Chengdu Hunters 3 – 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA
5:15 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
1 Ilios 2
2 Temple of Anubis 1
2 Hollywood 1
2 Junkertown 3
2 Lijiang Tower 1

Playoffs

2019 playoff game log
Play-In Tournament (0–1)
Quarterfinals August 30 Chengdu Hunters 1 – 4 Guangzhou Charge Burbank, CA
6:00 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena
1 Ilios 2
1 Eichenwalde 2
3 Horizon Lunar Colony 2
2 Rialto 3
0 Lijiang Tower 2

References

  1. ↑ Torres, Xander (December 2, 2018). "Chengdu Hunters announce full lineup for 2019". VPEsports. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  2. ↑ Binkowski, Justin (December 1, 2018). "Silkthread retires from professional Overwatch". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  3. ↑ Rodriguez, Veronika (January 16, 2019). "Chengdu Hunters Sign Jiqiren Ahead of Overwatch League Season 2". DBLTAP. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  4. ↑ Rand, Emily (February 18, 2019). "New names dominate opening week of Overwatch League". ESPN. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  5. ↑ Rand, Emily (February 28, 2019). "Chengdu Hunters outperform early expectations in Overwatch League". ESPN. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  6. ↑ August, Charlotte (March 17, 2019). "Overwatch League Recap: Stage 1 | Week 5 | Day 1". ESTNN. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  7. ↑ Buchholz, Matt (April 7, 2019). "Against the Meta, Chengdu Hunters Entertain the Fans and Defeat Paris". Twin Galaxies. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  8. ↑ Rand, Emily (April 9, 2019). "From GOATS to BOATS: How the Overwatch League meta has shifted". ESPN. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  9. ↑ Rand, Emily; Torres, Xander; Qu, Bonnie (April 30, 2019). "Overwatch League power rankings through Stage 2, Week 4". ESPN. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  10. ↑ Field Level Media (May 5, 2019). "Titans finish OWL Stage 2 perfect yet again". Gwinnett Prep Sports. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  11. ↑ R., Olivia (June 8, 2019). "Amang discusses loss to Guangzhou Charge and loss of his panda hat". win.gg. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  12. ↑ Gerr, Aaron (June 8, 2019). "Overwatch League Recap: Los Angeles Valiant vs. Chengdu Hunters". The Game Haus. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  13. ↑ Cowan-Kazmi, Ethan (June 14, 2019). "Overwatch League Recap: Dallas Fuel vs Chengdu Hunters". The Game Haus. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  14. ↑ Long, Bradley (June 22, 2019). "Overwatch League Recap: Vancouver Titans vs Chengdu Hunters". The Game Haus. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  15. ↑ Cowan-Kazmi, Ethan (June 23, 2019). "Overwatch League Recap: Dallas Fuel vs Chengdu Hunters". The Game Haus. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  16. 1 2 Rand, Emily (June 3, 2019). "Overwatch League power rankings through Stage 3, Week 4". ESPN. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  17. 1 2 "Chengdu Hunters add DPS prospect Leave". ESPN. Reuters. July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  18. ↑ McHale, Violet (July 31, 2019). "The Chengdu Hunters have a Scrappy Start to Stage 4". The Game Haus. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  19. ↑ R., Olivia (August 1, 2019). "Chengdu Hunters produce first Mercy MVP of OWL Season 2". Win.gg. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  20. ↑ McHale, Violet (August 8, 2019). "Chengdu Hunters Stage 4 Week 3 Preview". The Game Haus. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  21. ↑ Richardson, Liz (August 5, 2019). "How role lock caused huge upsets in the Overwatch League". Dot Esports. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  22. 1 2 McHale, Violet (August 16, 2019). "Chengdu Hunters Stage 4 Week 4 Preview". The Game Haus. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  23. ↑ Salaun, Theo (August 18, 2019). "Overwatch League 2019 Stage 4, Week 4: Hangzhou Spark's Top Plays, Prize Money". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Charge, Dragons advance in OWL play-in tourney". ESPN. Reuters. August 31, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
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